A 35-foot glazed facade system for the expansive lobby of the newest addition to Salt Lake City’s skyline. Designed to withstand windstorms and the seismic pressures of earthquakes.

2017 ENR Best Projects – Office/Retail/Mixed-Use

At 387 feet tall, 111 Main is a prominent addition to Salt Lake City and has a unique structure. The column-free building design relies on all 24 floors being supported by tension members hung from the roof.

Eckersley O’Callaghan acted as the Engineer of Record for the design of the custom all-glass lobby facade system. Set back from the perimeter, the slender building core allows for an expansive lobby entrance 40 feet tall. However, this also results in significant building movements in the event of a windstorm or earthquake.

While all floor plates move together uniformly, a key challenge was presented at the interface between the hanging building and the entry-level facade, which is base-supported on the ground. A study of movements, rotations, supports, and rigidity was conducted to define a system that would cope with the immense imposed building deflections.

A kinetic hinge system was developed to accommodate total building vertical movements of three feet, while precision linear slide bearings were employed to absorb lateral building drifts.

Large cantilever structural steel entry portals were designed integrally with the glazed facade system. Incorporation of architectural timber fins was accomplished with a novel approach to laminate wood veneer into the glass assemblies.

Detailed analysis of global movements, post-failure behaviour, and gasket and sealant flexibility was carried out as part of the delegated design requirements to ensure performance throughout the building’s design life.

Location
Salt Lake City, UT

Client
Private

Architect
SOM

Photography
Ceser Rubio